Flying machine



Aug., m36., p QDORNIER A 2mm@ FLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10,1934 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Au@ 25, 109:35' i i c. DORNIER 2,052,086

FLYING MACHINE Filed Jan. 1o, 1954 s sheets-'sheet 24 C. DORNIER FLYINGMACHINE Aug. 25, 1936.

Filed Jan. l0, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jzzveni'or Patented ug. 25, 1936FLG mande Dornier', Friedrichshafen, Germany Application .ianuary 10,1931i, Serial Na, 706,091 In Germany February 16, 1933 8 Cllaims,1

ri'his invention relates to iiying machines, more particularly toairplanes adapted to operate at small speed when starting or landing andat high speed when in normal substantially horizontal flight.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new iiyingmachine of such a design as to constitute little resistance to the airand to require little power for ying in any direction.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new flyingmachine which permits of very high speeds when moving in a substantiallyhorizontal make steep ascents and descents.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a flying machinehaving provisions adapted to considerably assist the upward and downwardmovement of the machine, said provisions 'constituting very littleresistance to a horizontal movement of the machine.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new design fora flying machine having wing provisions particularly adapted for asubstantially horizontal movement of themachine and having otherprovisions particularly suitable for promoting an upward or downwardmovement of the machine.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new design fora flying machine having wing provisions particularly adapted for asubstantially horizontal movement of-the machine and having otherprovisions particularly suitable for promoting an upward or downwardmovement of the machine, the latter provisions being adapted to beremoved or held in a position where they constitute little resistance tothe movement of the machine in a horizontal direction.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new design fora ying machine having wing provisions particularly adapted for asubstantially horizontal movement of the machine and having otherprovisions particularly suitable for promoting an upward or downwardmovementof the machine, the latterprovisions being also adapted toincrease the lifting power when flying in a horizontal directionparticularly when flying in such direction at reduced speed.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new design-for a Iiying machine having wing provisions particularly adaptedvfor asubstantially horizontal movement of the machine and having otherprovisions particularly suitable for promoting an upward or downwardmovement of the machine, the latter provisions being direction and whichis also adapted to l also adapted to increase the lifting power whenflying in a horizontal direction and being adjustable so that "they canbe changed while the machine is in operation either into a position inwhich they increase the lift power of the machine for horizontal flyingor to a position in which they promote the upward or downward movementof the machine.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new andimproved design for flying 10 machines requiring only a small area forstarting and landing and, at the same time, permitting of a. very highload on the wings during normal operation.

An object of this invention resides in the provision of a new andimproved design of a flying machine combining'the advantages of anairplane with those ofa helicopter and avoiding the disadvantages ofeach of these typesvof flying machines.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision ofmulti-bladed wing systems which can be folded up and are supplementaryto the stationary wings of a flying machine.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a. flyingmachine having multi-bladed wing systems which can be folded up andretracted into the fuselage and/or the stationary wings.

Further and other objects of the present invention will be hereinafterset forth in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in thedrawings which, by way of illustration, show what I now consider to be apreferred embodiment of my invention. y 35 Retractable or auxiliaryfolding wings or flaps attached to the Wings of an airplane producelittle `additional lift because they are of necessity small as comparedwith the' main wings. When using rotating wings, the lift is materiallyin- 4o creased but also the gliding resistance is substantiallyincreased, and flying machines of this type Y are not suitable for highspeed flying. I propose to make the stationarywings just large enough tosuflice for forward ying and to provide one or more rotating wingsystems revolved by the air current in order to facilitate a. quickstart and to reduce the landing' peed; these systems are not inoperation after the start, that is, when flying substantiallyhorizontally they are wholly or 50 partly withdrawn from the influenceof vthe air current during the main flight until just before landing. Ican carry out For instance,

my invention in several ways. I can arrange ontop ofA the fuselage arotating system adapted to be folded up and Withdrawn into the fuselageduring normal flight. 'I'he folding up may be carried out similarly asis done with umbrellas. I can also provide below each stationary wingone or more freely rotatable two-bladed systems which are stopped afterthe start and so fixed that the longitudinal axes of their wings are inthe direction of the flight. In this position the air resistanceproduced by the wing systems is smallest. If complete elimination of theresistance or air friction is desired, the two-bladed systems are heldin a position where their longitudinal axes are perpendicular to thedirection of the flight and the wings are Withdrawn into the main wingsof the plane. This affords the possibility of having a smaller or largerpart of one wing of the rotating systems projecting beyond the free endof the main wing on which the system is mounted. In this case, thedirection of rotation of the systems must be such that the projectingwings produce lift during the normal flight.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a part side view and a part sectional view of a seaplaneaccording to my invention with the rotating wing system in operatingposition.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional side view of the fuselage with the rotatingwing system in rest position.

Fig. 3 is a top view of a seaplane according to my invention.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a modified plane according to my invention.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the plane illustrated by Fig. 4 with therotating wing systems in rest position.

Fig. 6 is a front view of a plane according to my invention havingretractable rotatable wing systems.

Fig. 7 is a top view of the plane shown by Fig. 6.

' Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of a detail of the embodiment of myinvention illustrated by Figures-6 and 7.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a collapsible rotatable wing system accordingto my invention in operating position.

Fig. 10 schematically shows a system as per Fig. 9 in folded position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings: Figures 1, 2, and 3illustrate a seaplane constructed according to my invention. Like partsare designated by like numerals in these three figures. I is thefuselage, 2 the propeller, 3 and 4 the fioats, and 5 the stationaryWings. The size of the stationary wings is such that it is justsufficient for fast flying, but it would be too small for starting andlanding.

On Fig. 3 the dotted line 6 indicates the size of the wing which wouldbe necessary to enable the plane to make safe starts and landings.Instead of providing such-large wings which would constitute a greatresistance against normal horizontal flying, I provide for starting andlanding purposes a system of rotating wings 1-1 which, under theinfluence of the air current, rotates around the hollow shaft 8. Thesimplest method of bringing the wings after the start to a position inwhich they offer least resistance to the air current consists inproviding a brake system and in locking the wings in the position shownon Fig. 3, that is, so that the longitudinal axis of the wings is in thedirection of the flight. Since the wings including the rigging and shaftstill constitute a. considerable resistance to the air current, it isadvisable to fold the Whole system into the fuselage. For this purposethe following arrangement may be made: the wings 1 are rotatably linkedto the hub 9, which is rotatable with respect to the shaft 8, and aresupported by stays I0; the latter are rotatably linked at one end to thesleeve II which is slidable on shaft 8 and adapted to be locked to saidshaft at acertain point. This is accomplished by lever 3| which isrotatably connected to the sleeve II; one arm of this lever is providedwith a finger 32 which `automatically inserts itself into an aperture 33in the shaft 8 as soon as the sleeve II is at the proper point to assurea perpendicular position of the vanes 1 with respect to the shaft .8.This may be accomplished, for instance, by providing a spring member 41which presses that arm of the leverprovided with the finger 32 towardthe shaft 8.

As soon as the machine has left the ground, the sleeve Il is unlocked bymanipulation of the lever 3| and moved toward the fuselage due to theweight of varies 1; the vanes are thereby folded to the shaft 8 as shownin Fig. 2. A fulcrum I2 is provided on the fuselage I and the foot ofthe shaft 8 permitting the shaft together with the folded wings to befolded into the fuselage. The folded system may rest on a support I3. Inorder to erect the shaft 8 and bring the rotating wing system intooperating position, as

is desired when making a steep ascent or descent or when starting orapproaching the ground, the shaft is provided at its lower end with agear segment 22 cooperating with a worm 23 on shaft 24 which issupported by supports 34 and 35 and may be rotated by crank 25 locatednear the pilots seat.

To unfold the wings 1 a rope 26 may be connected to the sleeve II, saidrope running over a roller 21 at the upper part of the hollow shaft 8through the interior of the shaft and over a. roller 28 located at thefoot of shaft 8 and therefrom to a drum 29 which may be rotated by acrank 30 located near the pilots seat. When winding up the rope 26 onthe drum 29, the sleeve II is pulled upward along the shaft 8, and thestays I0 connecting the sleeve and the wings thereby move the wings intoa position at right angles to the shaft 8.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a modification of my invention in which therotating wing systems I4 are located underneath the main and stationarywings 5. When starting, ascending or descending at a steep grade thewings I4 are permitted to revolve under the influence of the aircurrent. After the start and when flying at high speed in asubstantially horizontal direction the wings I4 are locked in such aposition as to constitute the least possible air resistance, that is, ina position parallel to the direction of flight. This locking may beaccomplished by any known brake system or the like. This isdiagrammatically shown by the brakes which may be operated from thepilots seat by means of lever 6I and the ropes 62 and 63 connecting thelever and the brakes.

In order to further reduce the air resistance of the rotating wings, Ican make provisions for retracting the wings into the stationary wingsas lillustrated by Fig. 6. The wing systems I5 are supported by theshafts I6 having a combination of axial and radial bearings at theirlower ends. Shaft I6 can freely move upward and downward within theguide 4I, the lower end of which is provided with a slot-like opening 42to accommodate the wings I5 when in retracted position. 'I'he bearing atthe lower end of the 2,052,086 shaft has a non-rotating part 40 whichhangs on ropes 39. These ropes run over the rollers 44 and 45 to thedrum- 46 provided with crank 36 and located in the fuselage andaccessible to the pilot. 'I'his is shown on Fig. 6. When winding up theropes 39 on the drum 46, the shafts I6 together with the vanes I arepulled into the guide pieces 4|. Since the opening in the lower part ofthe stationary wings will have a slot-like configuration as indicated bydotted lines 52 on Fig. 7, the wings I5 must be locked in a position inwhich their longitudinal axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe slot before the wings are retracted into the slot and the stationarywings. This locking may be accomplished by a brake system which' may. bearranged cooperatively with the mechanism for lifting the rotating wingsystems. f

An example of such a system is schematically shown in Fig. 8. In thering member 4I) which is prevented from rotating by flaps 53 sliding inthe openings or guides 42, openings 54 are provided accommodatingkey-shaped members r55. The previously mentioned ropes 39 are connectedto these key members.V Springs 56 pull the keys 55 downward and into theopenings 54. The keys 55 cooperate with the brake blocks 5l which arehorizontally slidable in corresponding apertures 58 in the'ring 4D. Whenpulling the ropes 39 the keys 55 move upward and press the brake blocks5l radially inward and on the collar 59 of shaft I5, thereby stoppingthe rotation of the shaft and the wings I5. When further pulling theropes 39 ring 4B together with the whole rotating wing system is pulledupwardas previously described.

For placing the rotatable wing systems I5 back into operating positionand condition the ring 49 is let down by the ropes 39 as previouslydescribed. During the downward movement the whole mechanism hangs on thekeys 55 pressing the brake blocks 5l on the collar 59 and therebypreventing a` rotation of the wings I5. As soon as the system hasreached operating position the flaps 55 come to rest on the bottom ring5I) of the support structure 4I and the keys 55 fall down due to theirown weight and to the action of the springs 55 which are connected atone end to ring 49 and at the other end to brake blocks 5l therebysetting the brake blocks 5l free and permitting the wing system torotate freely. This is indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 8.

I can make the rotating vanes of considerable size, whereas I reduce thesize of the stationary wings as much as possible in order to reduce airresistance when flying horizontally. If the rotating wings are then toolarge to be entirely retracted into the stationary wings, I can arrangefor part or all of one vane pertaining to the rotating wing system toproject from the ends of the stationary wings also when the rotatingvanes are lifted up'into the stationary wings. This is illustrated byFig. 7 where part of the vanes I5 projects from the stationary wings 4l,whereas the vanes I5" are entirely retracted into the wings 4l. 'Ihismethod permits a further reduction of the size of the stationary wingsadditional lift being produced by the projecting part of the rotatingWings. Of course. the direction of rotation of the rotating wing systemsin such a case must be such that, when the system is locked in theposition for horizontal flying, that is, retracted and with thelongitudinal axis parallel to that of the stationary wings, theprojecting part of the vanes I5' causes lift. In large planes thethickness of the wings 38 will be such that the guide 4| and the wholelifting mechanism will be within thev wing body and will not constituteundesirable air resistance.

In all the above described embodiments of my invention rotating wingsystems consisting of two vanes were employed. I can also use systemsconsisting of three or more individual vanes and design such systems tobe collapsed or folded up when not needed. This may be carried out, forinstance, as illustrated by Figures 9 and 10. The individual vanes II,I8 and I9 are rotatably supported by a common shaft 2|] but are loosewith respect to one another and wings I1 and I9, for instance, may befolded underneath vane IB thus forming a body of little air resistancewhen all three vanes are in the direction of the airv current which isindicated by the arrows 49 on Fig. 10. In order to hold the individualwings apart and in operating position, stays 2| may b e linked at oneend to vane I8 and provided at the other end with hooks 50 which can beinserted into suitable eyes 5I provided on the wings I'I and I9.l Inaddition a connecting link 31 may be provided and adapted to be hookedinto eyes 5I' on vanes I'I and I9 or linked to one of these vanes andadapted to be hooked to the other. A mechanism for unfolding a wingsystem 4as per Figures 9 and 10 and for holding it in operating positionand adapted to be operated from the pilots seat may be provided. This isnot shown in the drawings as it is no subject of the presentapplication.

While I believe the above described embodiments of my invention are'preferred embodiments, I wish it to be understood that I do not desireto be limited to the exact details of design and construction' shown anddescribed, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in'the art.

What I claim is:

l. A flying machine having stationary wings and rotating wing systems,said stationary wings having openings corresponding to a part of saidrotating wing systems, said rotating wing systems being adapted to be inpart retracted into said openings and to, in part, laterally protrudefrom said stationary wings when retracted and to supplementA by thatpart which laterally protrudes from said stationary wings, the liftproduced by said stationary wings.

2. A flying machine having stationary wings y and rotating wing systems,said stationary 'wings having openings corresponding to a part of saidrotating wing systems, said rotating wing systems being adapted to be inpart retracted into said openingl and to, in part, protrude laterallybeyond said stationary wings when retracted and to supplement by thatpart which protrudes from said stationary wings, the lift produced bysaid stationary wings, said rotating wing systems when in non-retractedposition being located underneath said stationary wings.

3. A flying machine having stationary wings, a plurality of autorotativewings supported by said stationary wings and adapted to rotate inplanes'substantially parallel to said stationary Wings, cavities in saidstationary wings corresponding toa part of said autorotative wings,retracting means for retracting part of said autorotated wings into saidcavities when flying at high speed, and brake means for holding saidautorotative wings in position while being and when retracted into saidcavities.

4. A flying machine having stationary wings, a plurality Vofautorotative wings supported by said stationary wings and adapted torotate in planes substantially parallel to said stationary wings,cavities in said stationary wings c` responding to said autorotativewings, retra ting means for retracting said autorotative wings into saidcavities when flying at high speed, and brake means for holding saidautorotative wings in position while being and when retracted into saidcavities, said retracting means and said brake means being operativelyinterconnected for assuring simultaneous operation of said retractingmeans and said brake means.

5. A flying machine having stationary wings, a plurality of autorotativewings supported by said stationary wings and adapted to rotate in planessubstantially parallel to said stationary wings, cavities in saidstationary wings corresponding to said autorotative wings, retractingmeans for retracting said autorotative wings into said cavities whenflying at high speed, and brake means for holding said autorotativewings in position while being and when retracted into said cavities,said retracting means and said brake `means having a plurality ofmembers in common for assuring simultaneous operation of said retractingmeans and said brake means.

6. A ying machine having a fuselage, stationary wings, and a system ofautorotative wings, said stationary wings being adapted to provide thelift required for iiying at high speed in a substantially horizontaldirection, said autorotative wings being adapted to provide additionallift when saidfmachine moves at slow speed and consisting of a pluralityof vanes, a hub, and a shaft supporting said hub and projecting fromsaid fuselage when said autorotative wing system is in operation, saidvanes being hinged to said hub and adapted to be folded up, said shaftbeing adapted to be laid over and into said fuselage, whereby saidshaft. hub and vanes are completely hidden within said fuselage andconstitute no air resistance.

'1. A flying machine having a fuselage, stationary wings, and' a systemof autorotative wings, said stationary wings being adapted to providethe lift required for flying at high speed ln a substantially horizontaldirection, said autorotative wings being adapted to provide additionallift when said machine moves at slow speed and consisting of a pluralityof vanes and a shaft rotatably supporting said vanes, said vanes beingadapted to be rotated around said shaft into a position where they areadjacent to one another and constitute a very small surface exposed tothe air current when said flying machine flies in a. substantiallyhorizontal direction.

8. A flying machine having stationary wings and a system of rotatingwings, said stationary Wings being adapted to provide the lift requiredfor fying in a substantially horizontal direction and at high speed,said rotating wing system being adapted to provide additional lift whenmoving at slow speed, and consisting of a plurality of vanes, a hub anda shaft rotatably supporting said hub, said vanes being hinged to saidhub and adapted to be folded up in the plane of rotation of said vanesinto a position where said vanes are adjacent to one another andconstitute a very small surface exposed to the air current when 'saidmachine flies in a substantially horizontal direction. K

CLAUDE DORNIER.

